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For many people who has spent a long time renting, staring at the same landlord-approved magnolia walls and dreaming of injecting personal style to their home, Pantone's latest Colour of the Year might seem like a disappointing choice.

This time around, the influential color company has designated a shade of white as its flagship hue.

More specifically, the shade is called Cloud Dancer – a white touted as "lofty" and "billowy" which "acts as a symbol of calming influence in a society rediscovering the value of quiet reflection".

It signifies the initial instance white has been honored as the Colour of the Year, and it has sparked considerable debate.

As stated by Pantone, Cloud Dancer "is not just a colour, it's a state of being" and reflects a widespread desire to decelerate, reset and seek peace after years of visual overload.

But some detractors have branded the decision as "Pantonedeaf", suggesting that promoting minimalist and pristine white spaces can feel distant from the smaller, lived-in homes most people inhabit.

Additional critics contend that positioning white as an ideal carries racial undertones, landing uncomfortably within continuing political and cultural conversations about race and representation.

Soothing or Stark?

Designer One design critic says the criticism transcends aesthetics, stating that white carries cultural undertones and is rarely a neutral choice.

"The color white sends a message," he says, shaped by a ten-year period of minimalist celebrity interiors – most notably Kim Kardashian's austere home – that came to symbolize "wealth, order and removal from disorder".

He explains that white is "not about inspiration but taking care not to cause upset", with Cloud Dancer personifying "austerity, virtuous simplicity and the idea that neutrality denotes goodness".

The designer points to the pandemic as a turning point in how people perceive their homes.

"Overnight they became our workspaces, refuges and sources of stability," he says, noting that in this context, pushing the Colour of the Year towards "more visual emptiness feels rather out of step".

Rather than offering calm, he believes white now risks amplifying "a sense of bleakness", particularly when combined with cool, clinical lighting.

'Sterile Sensations

An interior designer, a Surrey based design expert, concurs and says Cloud Dancer "doesn't really read as a colour" and is "completely rejected for me".

Although it may suit extremely sparse or structural spaces, she says bright whites seldom create calm in real homes.

"What looks serene in a professional photo can readily feel sterile at home," she explains.

"White can feel harsh and unforgiving and you wouldn't wish your home to give clinical feelings."

She adds that "living spaces should spark joy and be warm and welcoming, and this shade feels quite removed from that."

Beaumont hopes that homeowners will disregard the Pantone Colour of the Year in preference for "unabashed joyful interior design", using colour to express personality.

A representative of the Pantone Colour Institute stated that people "bring different feelings" to the significance of the colour, but it was chosen as it "works seamlessly with everything around it, offering a sophisticated impartiality that feels intentional and versatile".

Since its launch in 2000, Pantone's Colour of the Year has become a powerful trend indicator.

Past choices have featured the hopefulness of a vibrant pink-orange, the calm confidence of Classic Blue, the vibrancy of Viva Magenta, and more recently softer, feeling-based tones like a soft peach.

These colours extend beyond trend forecasts - they appear in clothing lines, cosmetic products, home decor, product wrapping and even consumer electronics, shaping how products are marketed and how consumers envision the year ahead.

Victoria Robinson, says Cloud Dancer is a "elegant choice" and while it may appear simple, "this particular shade feels soft and refined rather than stark".

In contrast to those who say the colour is boring, the expert sees it as "adaptable" and says it's best used in "bedrooms and communal spaces where you want a peaceful, calming atmosphere".

"Even if you don't want to redecorate, you can introduce the colour into a room with cushions, throws and curtains."

Interior designer Another professional says although he was surprised that Pantone's pick this year was "fundamentally the absence of colour", it is a bit like vanilla ice cream, in that "it is universally accepted but it's nobody's favourite".

He can see its benefits, noting that white can work particularly well as a background for architectural details like wall molding and arched doorways which is a "rising style in modern homes".

In apparel, white has long been a basic rather than a bold declaration and as a Colour of the Year it poses a different challenge to designers more familiar with vibrant colors.

Fashion consultant Oriona Robb says elevating white seems "not focused on newness and more concerned with purpose", reflecting a shift towards refinement after years of trend overloads.

"White forces designers and wearers alike to concentrate on shape, proportion and quality, there's really nowhere to hide," she clarifies.

But she continues that it also holds presumptions around body confidence, lifestyle and advantage, saying: "When white is treated as something only a narrow group of people can pull off, it becomes exclusionary."

She says the fashion world is already aware of the problematic connotations tied to celebrating white as an ideal, especially during continuing conversations about inclusion and approachability, and the true challenge will be whether "companies engage with that complexity authentically, or simply aestheticise the colour".

A Societal Shift, Not a Fad

Style consultant Another expert concedes the choice at first surprised her, given Pantone's history of vibrant hues, but says it mirrors a authentic change and aligns with a wider mood of "quiet luxury